Spaced Based Solar Panels

From the power system perspective the area of interest in which esa is looking for new ideas is the scaling and integration of space based solar power into energy grids.

Spaced based solar panels.

Space based solar power sbsp. Space based solar power sbsp is the concept of collecting solar power in outer space and distributing it to earth potential advantages of collecting solar energy in space include a higher collection rate and a longer collection period due to the lack of a diffusing atmosphere and the possibility of placing a solar collector in an orbiting location where there is no night. The concept of space based solar power is not new. Solar panels on spacecraft supply power for two main uses.

A space based solar power station would capture the sun s energy that never makes it to the planet and use laser beams to send the energy back to earth to meet energy demand needs. Since it s space week we thought it d be appropriate to look at one promising but futuristic idea that could change the face of solar power generation. In april of 2015 a research. Power to run the sensors active heating cooling and telemetry.

It is hard to imagine accomplishing a factor of 100 reduction in launch costs. A space based solar power system could provide energy to everyone even in places that don t receive sunlight all year round like northern europe and russia. Mankins and others estimate the total cost for developing building launching and assembling all the components of a space based solar power plant is on the order of 4 to 5 billion a fraction. Also referred to as pv panels the first solar panel was introduced in 1954 by bell laboratories.

While the energy department is not actively researching sbsp we hope you ll take a moment to learn about this far out concept. China said in a. Power for spacecraft propulsion electric propulsion sometimes called solar electric propulsion. Today the technology.

In 1999 nasa initiated a 22 million study investigating the feasibility of space based solar power. In fact this technology was mentioned way back in 1941 in the science fiction story reason written by isaac asimov. Solar panels are basically used to convert the solar energy coming from the sun into electricity. Among their conclusions was that launch costs would need to come down to 100 200 per kg to make space based solar power economically competitive.